Arsenal have announced the long awaited transfer of Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon, so let’s take a look at what this transfer means for Olivier Giroud and how the two compare.
The strikers enjoyed very different seasons last time out with Lacazette making his way to 45 appearances for Lyon, scoring 37 goals with a total playing time of 3,480 minutes.
On the other hand, Giroud struggled through the whole season. While he made only 5 appearances fewer (40 games), and scored 16, his game time was reduced to 1,780 minutes, half that of Lacazette.
Both players have different physical attributes and the way they contribute to their teams is different. Giroud is limited to playing only in a central attacking role while Lacazette can be effectively deployed on either flank as attacking winger as well as through the middle.
Defensive contribution
Neither player has much responsibility when their teams defend from open play and most of their impact defensively is through their ability to put pressure on the opponents back line.
On the one hand, Giroud is better at making interceptions and his height allows him to defend set pieces. His physical ability allows him to be a dominant force in the air. He makes, on average, 0.2 interceptions, 0.5 clearances and 0.6 tackles per game while also making 0.8 fouls.
Lacazette on the other hand is quicker and has a better ability to put pressure on players rather than relying on his ability to read passes. His influence on the defence comes with 1.2 tackles, 0.1 interceptions and 0.1 clearances per-game and he makes close to two fouls per game.
The sheer number of tackles and the difference in their abilities and approach are shown in the number of cards they’ve collected with six yellows for Lacazette and two with one red for Giroud.